La Liga
Barcelona have held talks with agent of £36m-rated German, player would favour move – report
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan would be open to joining Barcelona this summer, El Chiringuito reporter Jose Alvarez claims. The Blaugrana have been busy in the transfer market since the end of the season, and they have already announced the arrival of three new players. Among them are Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia, who will officially join on free transfers when their City contracts expire at the end of the month. The Blaugrana have continued to be linked with several City players including Aymeric Laporte and Raheem Sterling, and Gundogan is the latest on their radar. It is reported that the club’s officials recently held talks with the uncle and agent of the midfielder over a possible transfer in the upcoming transfer window. The German international is said to favour a move t...
Barcelona midfielder open to staying at club to fight for his place next season
Miralem Pjanic has refused to rule out the possibility of staying at Barcelona next season while speaking to Marca, despite experiencing a disastrous first year at the club. The Bosnia & Herzegovina international left Juventus for Camp Nou in a transfer worth €60million last summer, with Arthur Melo heading the opposite direction as part of a coordinated swap deal. However, neither player has managed to live up to expectations, especially Pjanic, who recorded just six La Liga starts under Ronald Koeman in 2020/21. The 31-year-old has found himself bottom of the pecking order in the Spanish club, with Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri and Illaix Moriba all enjoying more playing time than him. Following a lacklustre season-long stint at Barcelona, the ex-Roma playmaker could be goi...
Barcelona open to selling Manchester United target for €50-60m amid contract standoff – report
Barcelona are willing to part ways with Ousmane Dembele this summer unless he is prepared to renew his contract, Sport claims. The 24-year-old has been with the Blaugrana for the past four seasons but has been limited to just 118 appearances due to regular injuries. His current deal expires in less than 13 months, and it is reported that the Frenchman has yet to show any intention of extending his stay. The Spanish giants are unlikely to stay patient for long and could sell him for €50-60 million if there is no progress in the negotiations. Sportslens view: Dembele had a good 2020/21 campaign for the Blaugrana with 11 goals and five assists from 44 appearances across all competitions. One of the big positives was his fitness. The Frenchman missed just six matches over the entire campa...
Barcelona prefer selling €25m-rated graduate, no contract talks planned – report
Barcelona are prepared to sanction the sale of Sergi Roberto after declining to negotiate a new contract, Mundo Deportivo claims. The Spaniard has spent his entire career with the Catalan giants, registering 304 appearances across all competitions. He has less than 13 months left on his contract, and the hierarchy have yet to make contact with his agent over a renewal. It is reported that the Blaugrana could be leaning towards his potential exit during the forthcoming summer transfer window. Sportslens view: Roberto had an injury-plagued 2020/21 campaign for the Blaugrana, playing just 1,200 minutes in all competitions. The club seem prepared to sanction his sale this summer as they now have plenty of cover for the right-back position. Sergino Dest and Oscar Mingueza can play in the role w...
Update on the future of ex Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane will not rush back into management and is interested in managing the French team once the job becomes available, according to Libertad Digital. The Frenchman’s second spell in charge of Real Madrid ended at the end of last season and he has since been replaced by Carlo Ancelotti. In his first stint as Madrid manager, Zidane guided the team to three Champions League titles and one La Liga crown. His second stint was not as successful as he just won one La Liga crown in the 2019/20 season and ended the last campaign empty-handed. None of the European heavyweight clubs are currently looking to hire a manager, and Zidane will wait until the French national team job becomes available. Zidane’s 1998 World Cup-winning teammate Didier Deschamps has been in charge of Les Bleus since...
Barcelona turn attention to €50m-rated midfielder after Georginio Wijnaldum blow – report
Barcelona have revived their interest in Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz after missing out on Georginio Wijnaldum, Radio Catalunya claims. The Catalan giants were widely fancied to sign Wijnaldum on a free transfer following the expiry of his Liverpool contract at the end of the month. However, the deal was hijacked at the final hurdle, with Paris Saint-Germain offering him double the wages that the Blaugrana had proposed. It is now reported that the club have switched their attention to Ruiz and have already made contact with the Spaniard’s representatives. Napoli ‘only want money’ on the table, and there is no room for negotiations over the fee when it comes to the club president Aurelio de Laurentiis. Sportslens view: Ruiz has been a long-term target for the Blaugrana, but a deal has neve...
Report: Manchester stars lead La Liga rivals in player transfer values
The latest CIES Football Observatory report has been released, revealing the highest estimated transfer values of players in Europe’s top five leagues. The list is dominated by English players, with three Englishmen topping the charts and another four inside the top 20. The Premier League is also very heavily represented, with 12 players inside the top 20 and 43 in the top 100. There are 21 from La Liga, 15 from the Bundesliga, 14 from Serie A, and seven from Ligue 1. Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe ranks 12th, much lower than many would expect. The Frenchman has been given a value of €118.3 million. This will be largely because he has a year left on his current contract, but he could probably command a higher fee this summer. Harry Kane is another who is lower down than expected, w...
Report: Barcelona set to lose out on ‘done deal’ with Liverpool midfielder
Georginio Wijnaldum has decided to join Paris-Saint Germain in a deal that will run until 2024, according to reliable transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. Wijnaldum looked certain to join Barcelona as a free agent at the end of May, with Romano previously describing it as a ‘done deal’, He ran down his contract with Liverpool at the end of last season and was even set to undergo medicals at Camp Nou. However, Romano has reported that French heavyweights PSG have hijacked the deal and will double the salary Barca were prepared to offer. Barcelona are looking to rebuild following several years of underachievement both domestically and in Europe. It will be a big blow to their short-term ambitions if they fail to sign the 30-year-old. Due to the Spanish club’s financial situation, they have been ...
Real Madrid have beaten Arsenal to the signing of Portuguese transfer supremo – report
Real Madrid have appointed Luis Campos as their sporting director despite the recent interest from Premier League club Arsenal. It was recently reported that Campos was in talks with both European clubs, but it appears that Los Blancos have landed his signature. According to Turkish outlet T24, the Portuguese was signed by the club shortly after the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti as the manager. Campos, who was recently contracted with French champions Lille, will also act as the advisor to Los Blancos president Florentino Perez. Sportslens view: Campos has done a fantastic job previously at Monaco and Lille, helping them pursue quality young signings for the first-team squad as well as the academy. He brought in the likes of Bruno, Boubakary Soumare, Renato Sanches and Jonathan David, who...
Gary Lineker’s nine-word reaction to Fabrizio Romano’s transfer update on Liverpool player
Gini Wijnaldum is set to reject Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain. Although technically still a Liverpool player, it has been known for months that the 30-year-old will be heading elsewhere this summer. Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has provided daily updates on this saga, but the latest development is truly intriguing. Since bidding goodbye to Liverpool, Wijnaldum has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, with Dutch boss Ronald Koeman a keen admirer. Despite interest from Bayern Munich, it looked certain that he would join the Catalan giants on a free transfer. However, in a dramatic turn of events, PSG moved in quickly and are now in the driving seat to sign the Dutch midfielder who is currently busy with the national team preparing for the European Championships. ‘...
Barcelona and Real Madrid player wage cuts expected to continue next season
It is no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in crippling financial implications for clubs across the globe. The world’s strongest sides have been no exception to this, with La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid amongst those affected. The fierce rivals have felt the repercussions of the pandemic significantly harder than their European counterparts, who benefit from more elaborate broadcasting rights and stronger financial stability from billionaire owners. Barcelona are estimated to have surrendered close to €500 million in revenue due to COVID-19, while Madrid’s losses are around €400m. During the first coronavirus lockdown in March 2020, Los Blancos players agreed to a 10% wage cut to allow non-playing staff to receive their full pay. The Barca squad agreed to give up ...
Real Madrid star leads the mutiny as several Brazil players ready to boycott Copa America
The 2021 Copa America is under threat after it was reported that several Brazilian players were contemplating boycotting the tournament. According to reports from Spanish publication AS, several players from the Brazil camp are ready to walk out after the country was announced as hosts amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. The popular international tournament was supposed to be hosted by Colombia and Argentina. However, both were removed as co-hosts following street protests and a rise in coronavirus cases. Brazil were given the duty to host the tournament by CONMEBOL at the last minute after a bid from the United States was rejected. Brazil is one of the worst affected pandemic-hit countries in the world, with the death toll in the nation is over 470,000. The New York Times reports th...
